Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Women Who Drink Just One Glass Of Alcohol A Day Face Increased Breast Cancer Risk

Researchers also, for the first time, concluded evidence is strong that vigorous exercise reduces that risk. In other public health news: sun damage, opioid addiction medication, baby boxes, intelligence genes, gender-confirmation surgeries, and more.

The Washington Post:
Just One Alcoholic Drink A Day Increases Risk Of Breast Cancer, Study Says
Just one glass of wine or other alcoholic drink a day significantly raises the risk of breast cancer, while vigorous exercise such as running and bicycling reduces it, according to an expansive review of research on the effects of diet, nutrition and physical activity on the disease. The report, which was issued Tuesday, concluded that drinking the equivalent of one small glass of wine, beer or other alcohol a day — about 10 grams of alcohol — is linked to an increased cancer risk of 5 percent for pre-menopausal women and 9 percent for post-menopausal women. A standard drink has 14 grams of alcohol. (McGinley, 5/23)

Stat:
Creating A Sensor To Stop Sun Damage Before It Happens
A day in the sun often means slathering on sunscreen to stave off sunburns — but it can be a guessing game as to when SPF coverage is starting to dwindle. Now, scientists are working to develop a stick-on patch that can tell wearers when they’ve had too much time in the sun. ... The new sensor is a smart material sandwiched between two thin layers of silicone. The smart material contains a small molecule that splits in half in response to UV. That reaction causes the patch to turn orange, letting the user know when it’s time to reapply sunscreen or head indoors. The researchers can also tune the response rate — making it turn orange faster — to tailor the patches for people who are more UV sensitive. (Thielking, 5/23)

The Associated Press:
Science Says: Medications Prevent Opioid Addiction Relapse
Remarks by a top U.S. health official have reignited a quarrel in the world of addiction and recovery: Does treating opioid addiction with medication save lives? Or does it trade one addiction for another? Health Secretary Tom Price’s recent comments — one replying to a reporter’s question, the other in a newspaper op-ed — waver between two strongly held views. Medication-assisted treatment, known as MAT, is backed by doctors. Yet it still has skeptics, especially among supporters of 12-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous, because it involves opioid-based medications. (Johnson, 5/22)

NPR:
Face-To-Face Sleep Education Plus 'Baby Boxes' Reduces Bed Sharing
Giving new moms face-to-face education about safe sleep practices — and providing them with a cardboard "baby box" where their newborns can sleep right when they get home — reduces the incidence of bed sharing, a significant risk factor for SIDS and other unexpected sleep-related deaths, a study from Temple University in Philadelphia has found. (Pao, 5/22)

The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Temple Study: Baby Boxes Help Improve Infant Sleep Safety
A Temple University Hospital initiative that coupled “baby boxes” – portable cardboard bassinets – with personalized safe sleep instruction cut down on the hazardous practice of parents and infants sleeping in the same bed, according to study results released Monday. Temple researchers found the hospital’s SAFE-T program – Sleep Awareness Family Education at Temple – reduced the rate of bed sharing in the first eight days of life by 25 percent. (Giordano, 5/22)

The New York Times:
In ‘Enormous Success,’ Scientists Tie 52 Genes To Human Intelligence
In a significant advance in the study of mental ability, a team of European and American scientists announced on Monday that they had identified 52 genes linked to intelligence in nearly 80,000 people. These genes do not determine intelligence, however. Their combined influence is minuscule, the researchers said, suggesting that thousands more are likely to be involved and still await discovery. Just as important, intelligence is profoundly shaped by the environment. (Zimmer, 5/22)

The Washington Post:
Gender-Confirmation Surgeries Increase After Social Changes
More than 3,200 transgender surgeries, from “facial and body contouring” to actual “gender reassignment,” were performed in the United States last year, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said Monday in releasing the first such numbers ever reported. The 2016 total, reflecting a rapid evolution of public attitudes and health coverage, represented a 19 percent increase from the previous year, the data show. (Nutt, 5/22)

Miami Herald:
How To Spot The Symptoms Of Teenage Depression
Nearly 18 percent — or about 1 in 5 students between ninth and 12th grades — had thought about attempting suicide over a 12-month period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moreover, 14.6 percent of students nationwide had a plan detailing how they would kill themselves... Unlike adults, children may not admit to feeling depressed. Rather, they may be irritable, angry, have physical complaints or behavior changes. (Saltz and Furst, 5/22)

WBUR:
Graduating Medical School? Get A Therapist.
Mental health disorders during medical residency are more like the rule than the exception. One study found that 26 percent of graduates were depressed during their following medical internships. That was the experience of Dr. Elisabeth Poorman, a primary care physician in Everett. (Chakrabarti, Goldberg and Mitchell, 5/22)

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